A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Lisebet before departing.

Lisebet drops an arbor with climbing red roses and green bushes.

Lisebet drops a pine bench near the bushes.

Lisebet has joined the a walnut wooden swing with a steel chain.

(OOC)The scene set/room mood is now set to: It's Late Afternoon, there is food and drink aplenty. The backyard is all set up ready to go, a couple musicians providing background music.

Lisebet has made it to the party, which is good cause she planned it. She's standing at the moment, in a nice new party dress, glancing around at everything. "Perfect," she says with a nod. "All is set, now all we need are folks to arrive."

Laudine, a stern middle-aged maidservant arrives, following Tabitha.

Harlan is here with his pregnant wife, mainly just keeping an eye on her. After all, she planned this, and it's at her family's house. So, he's just .. being a guest! And enjoying himself.

Tabitha puts a bottle of refreshing pear cider in a wooden wheeled pie cart.

Laudine, a stern middle-aged maidservant leaves, following Tabitha.

Laudine, a stern middle-aged maidservant arrives, following Tabitha.

Tabitha puts Ashford Orangery Brand Dry Gin -- 'Ever Rising' in a wooden wheeled pie cart.

Along with the various arrivals, a nondescript woman slips into the gardens and glances around curiously. Though Autumn doesn't really stand out from the crowd in appearance, there's a definite light of curiosity to her eyes, and a general air as she pokes into things which suggests she's never actually been back to this part of Westrock Aerie. Or perhaps even to Westrock Aerie at all.

Tabitha puts Three Rivers Perry in a wooden wheeled pie cart.

Tabitha puts Grayson green apple wine in a wooden wheeled pie cart.

Quintin arrives, looking a bit damp around the edges, his hair swiped back from his forehead. Perhaps he's just freshened up. He heads over toward Harlan and Lisebet, his stern features lightening with a broad smile. "Afternoon."

Lisebet greets family as they arrive, content to do so. She passes an empty cup to a servant, and gets a new one, though she is taking it easy on what she is drinking. She smiles at Harlan, glad he's here. "See, it's my favourite swing, and I did tell you the pool here is nice. Have you tried one of those small hot rooms at all?" The sauna there, since it's available. Quintin's arrival gets a big smile. "Lord Quintin, do come in and join us," she says. "There's water to swim in, a garden to enjoy, food and drink aplenty, and good company."

Harlan gives a smile towards his family (extended). He looks back to his wife and says, "I know that you and Olivia have got us set on a swing and a pool for Ashford also. I haven't yet, though -- maybe a bit later?" He smiles before he notices someone who both isn't someone he recognizes, and looks like she isn't used to this place. In his mind, that means 'Not Farshaw'. So, he has her evicted. No, no, he actually walks over there and smiles towards her, "Welcome to Westrock Aerie -- have you come for the party?"

As her curiosity draws her closer to the selection of drinks and foods, Autumn's eyebrows rise just a bit at the quantity and variety laid out. "Gosh, that's a lot of--" But she cuts off as Harlan approaches, offering him a smile in greeting. "Yes! I used to know some Ashfords, some years ago, so I thought maybe I'd come and see what their family's doing these days. I won't stay too long, I promise!"

Having arrived a little earlier, Tabitha is sitting at the edge of the pool with her legs and feet submerged in the water. She's holding a silk parasol of pale green and pink roses over her shoulder to keep the heat burning it's way through her pale skin, with her hair tied up to keep it away from her neck as it is. She looks here and there, giving a polite dip of her head and a friendly nod t new arrivals including Autumn. Then she lifts a glass of cold pear juice to her lips and takes a deep sip.

Quintin collects a cup of something or other from a servant, nodding to Lisebet. "It looks great, thank you," he tells her. "I was hoping to get a peek at the library, but those tend not to be near gardens and hot pools." He raises his hand to wave to Tabitha; Autumn is given a curious glance, and a quick smile. "Which Ashfords?" he inquires.

The fun of being House Sword is that when everyone gets together like this, it's actually a 'work day' for him and thus the House Sword has come prepraed not to swim but to instead just relax and keep an eye on things so that everyone else can have fun. He smiles though as he enters, Tabitha having been here earlier and he looks about the room. "Duke, Duchess...." he offers, giving a wave to other people. Autumn he will assume if he even notices her to be a Farshaw he hasn't met yet, and then there's Tabitha. Though Autumn makes her statement and he smiles, "I'm sure you're welcome then," he adds as he kneels down next to Tabitha for a moment to press a kiss to her cheek. "Someone here looks utterly stunning."

In the crowd, there are many people milling about chatting and enjoying the food and drink. Lisebet is trying to greet everyone. "Hello, welcome to the party. I do hope you'll enjoy." She smiles at an old second cousin, crotchety though he is, as he moves along to the sauna, ignoring most everyont in his rush to get there before the whippersnappers.
Lisebet's gaze goes back to Autumn, curiously, especially at her reply to Harlan. "You are welcome to join us, m'lady, and stay until the party ends. I'm Lisebet, my husband Harlan." She starts the introductions, her attention briefly on Autumn, with a sunny smile. Quintin gets a light musical laugh from Lisebet. "Ah, you are welcome to take a look, certainly. Though it's not quite the same as the library in House Ashford." And a wave Pharamond's way.

Harlan smiles towards Autumn and says, "You're more than welcome. We seem to be lacking some Farshaws right now, but Ashfords are here in good number." He does the introductions -- faces to names and all that. "I am Duke Harlan, and over there is my wife, the Duchess Lisebet." He nods towards Quintin, "My cousin Quintin," and then towards Tabitha, "And my new-aunt, Lady Tabitha. She married my uncle, Lord Pharamond." He drops his voice to say something a bit more quietly though, before adding, "And there is my uncle in question as well." He smiles.

"Oh." Autumn's expression turns a bit more melancholic at Quintin's query. "I knew Lady Aislin pretty well, and Lord Killian too." The mention of the library at Ashford's home earns a bit of a nostalgic look. It's the look of someone who's been in that room before and remembers the maps, the journals, the comfortable chairs by the hearth. But she quickly offers a polite little curtsey to the Duke and Duchess. And then she turns her head very slightly to listen to what Harlan says more quietly.

"Maybe I'll sneak in later," Quintin tells Lisebet cheerfully. Autumn's reply to 'which Ashfords' makes him smile again. When he's named, he inclines his head. He really doesn't look stern at all when he's smiling, which is fortunate. "Well met," he tells her. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh yes, you're very welcome! How lovely to meet you." That said to Autumn as Tabitha smiles sweetly her way. With a wave to Quintin, Tabitha then turns to Pharamond and wrinkles her nose in a delighted fashion. "It's you, isn't it? You're the one looking stunning." She giggles (almost sickeningly heart-eyes) and then nods at Harlan's words. The lowered voice earns a laugh that's amused in a quiet but hearty way.

He laughs as Harlan calls Tabitha his aunt. "Do you realize I never realized that? Of course she is but still." At the mention of Aislin and Killian, Pharamond tilts his head slighlty though, his expression sombering just slightly. "They were very good Ashfords to know," he offers, sincerely. Pharamond wears Killian's sword, Bringer of Dawn, at his right hip, but otherwise doesn't add more. He hops up to his feet though and walks over to meet the new arrival, giving a polite incline of his head. "I am Uncle." He just grins looking to them.

Harlan smiles towards Autumn and says, "Well, you are more than welcome to join us here. Be welcome and comfortable." At the mentikon of his sister and cousin, he says simply, "I miss and mourn my cousin, and miss my sister, wherever she may have gone." He then smiles towards Pharamond, "Having fun, uncle?"

The place is small enough that Lisebet can sit in the swing and still chat with everyone, except the old codger in the sauna, and that suits her just fine. She sips her drink, settled jauntily, and watches the interactions for a moment. "Is the water very hot, m'Lady Tabitha?"

Autumn looks longingly at the ciders for a moment, then offers Quintin a rueful smile. "I really shouldn't," she admits, almost sadly. "Like I said, I can't stay terribly long; I have to do something afterwards. And it wouldn't be great to be tipsy!" To Pharamond, she offers a bright smile. "Lady Aislin mentioned you a few times! She said you could be terrifying with a sword, but that once it was sheathed you were one of the quickest people to laugh she knew." Harlan's comment earns a momentarily somber look, but then she adds quickly, "Oh! I almost forgot to congratulate you and your wife, Duke Harlan!"

Tabitha smiles politely, not chatting too much for the moment. She does, however, swish her feet into the water and note to Lisebet, "Very warm! I'm wondering if I should sink all the way in." She spins her parasol between her fingers as she peers down at her toes in the water. Wiggle wiggle toes.

"Aislin usually painted people in their best light. I believe the Duke and I are in a contest to see who will have a daughter first so that we can name one after her," he says with a chuckle. Pharamond looks to Harlan and teases, his tone obvious as he says, "Having fun? Watching you all swim while I hang out here in armor? Yes, I'm having a blast," he says with a smirk as he picks up one of the ciders and raises it in toast to whoever is holding a glass. "Perhaps when you don't have more to do you'll come by and tell us more about how you knew them. Most don't mention either any longer other than as a cautionarly tale or in memory. Few speak of them as they were. It is nice to hear." He pats Harlan on the shoulder before taking a step back, apparently less concerned now about the new arrival being so close to the Duke. His glance back to Tabitha just as she wiggles his toes has him shaking his head...and, as charged...smiling.

Quintin nods at Pharamond's words. "Yes, please do come by and tell some stories," he tells Autumn. The water is examined for a moment; then the young Ashford lord heads over and pauses to set his cup down and remove his boots.

Harlan says simply towards Pharamond, "I refuse to believe Aislin is dead until there is proof. Until then, she is alive, just ... not where we can place hands upon her, Uncle." He shrugs and smiles, "I'll probably say that right up until my eventual deathbed."

Lisebet chuckles softly, as she starts her swing to moving a bit. Then she changes her mind and goes over to sit by Tabitha, removing her slippers and letting her feet dangle. "I don't know about sinking all the way in, but at least this way, I can still see my toes," she says with a laugh. A glance over to Harlan, and she sobers a bit. "I really do wish I'd had a chance to meet them both," she says sincerely. The perils of being too young and distant from Arx at the time.

Lisebet has left the a walnut wooden swing with a steel chain.

Lisebet has joined the a hot pond with elegantly tailed orange-red fish.

Tabitha has joined the a hot pond with elegantly tailed orange-red fish.

Harlan grins towards Lisebet, "Aislin went and did all the things I wish I could have done, but was kept home by duty. So she went out and did all of the adventuring and discovering, and shared the knowledge with ... well, us, the Society, the people of Arvum....everyone, really."

"They were my idols," Quintin tells Lisebet. "I wanted to be just like them. I still do, to be honest. Hence the climbing about in ruins and such." He takes up his cider again, walking a few short steps over to the pool to dip his feet in. His gait's just a little bit awkward now that he's bootless.

Quintin has joined the a hot pond with elegantly tailed orange-red fish.

With a smile to Lisebet, Tabitha reangles the parasol to give the duchess a bit of headspace and some optional shade to share if desired. She giggles at the comment about toes, peering down again, then nods with a smile upon her face when Quintin joins. At the discussion of Aislin and Killian she agrees, "Yes, it would have been so nice to meet them. Ah, the ways things go." There's a thoughtful look on her face and then she peers around to listen to the conversation, a respectful look upon her face.

"She said once she was making up for lost time, trying to explore everywhere," Autumn notes to Harlan. "She never did really explain that, though." Then she turns to Quintin and Pharamond, her smile warm. "Maybe someday I can tell a few stories. I'm afraid I'm not in the city very often lately, though." Glancing over at Lisebet, the young woman adds, "If you make her brother happy, I'm sure you would have gotten along with Lady Aislin. And you'd be making her an aunt for real, too! Not just an honorary aunt to someone's kids."

Lisebet smiles at Autumn and nods her head. "Thank you, I appreciate that." She does settle where she gets some of the shade from Tabitha's parasol, as she sips her drink. "I think we should all get to adventure and discover, just maybe not all at once," she offers Harlan after a moment or two. Quintin gets a mischievous grin. "I can see that. Even I like to explore and go on adventures." Not that she gets too much opportunity for such, being purely decorative and all. Or at least that is the current story.

"I know very few people who held a sword that didn't want to be like Killian," he says with a chuckle and then nods to Harlan. "Fairly said," he says simply, though it's obvious that he's betrayed his own thoughts on the matter. As the women show off he looks back and can't help but to have his cheeks color as he spies his wife, that knowing look on his features. They're going to have a 'talk' about her outfit later. And by talk...well...newlyweds. "I do try to keep an eye out when I go out for any sort of signs. Hints..." he offers. "Though that's a side gig to the fact that in truth...I only joined to make sure that when I go out the Explorers I go with come back home. I like when people don't disappear. Especially those I am fond of." Pharamond takes another sip of his cider.

Harlan grins over towards Pharamond, "It's a good thing he -was- that good with a blade, because we all know I'm completely lost with one in my hand. I half-expect I'm going to find out at some point that he was learning specifically to keep me from having to." He's trying to keep the topics as light as possible.

Quintin wiggles his toes in the water once he's settled down. "Quite warm," he says, his tone approving. To Lisebet, he says, "I'm sure you'd be a valuable addition to any expedition, though... how many push-ups can you do, when you're not, you know..." He gestures toward his midsection. When you're not PREGNANT.

Autumn can't help but smile at mention of Killian. "Lord Killian always seemed like he was trying to be Lady Aislin's little brother, didn't he? They seemed pretty close, anyway; had that same sense of adventure. He was /so/ much better at fighting than she was, though."

Tabitha's still listening, quiet but attentive in her polite fashion. She nods here and there, though, and smiles in a way that conveys her happiness to be here. With a drink from her pear juice, she looks between everyone present.

Lisebet is in the same boat as Tabitha, not having met either of the Ashfords' so mentioned. But she's heard of them. "Does that mean if we have a girl we're naming her Aislin?" she asks Harlan with a grin. "And a boy, Killian?" Hey, one never knows, but agreeing on a name is probably something they should do, right? She gives Quintin a blink, and then she laughs. "What's a push up?"

Pharamond nods, "How did you know them," asks Pharamond. Earlier in the question it may have had a bit of an inquisitive nature. However, at the kind words and the way the conversation is gone, it carries far more trust and hopefully comes across as just that - a genuine question on how Autumn came to know the two family members spoken so highly of. Hey look, his cider is empty! Another of his magic tricks of course - the ability to make alcohol disappear. Though he looks back to the pool..."Do NOT start doing push ups while pregnant. You'll make the baby come early." True? Probably not. He smirks though and looks back to the family and the guest.

Oh, no. Oh noooo. Quintin eyes Lisebet, glances over at Pharamond hopefully, like the man's going to tell him if Lisebet is kidding or not, and then back to Lisebet. "Seriously?" He's sitting at the edge of the hot pool, his feet dangling into it.

"Oh, I was something of a scholar of forgotten history, and I tried my hand at exploring for a while," Autumn explains to Pharamond. "Lord Killian and I bumped into each other a few times, when we were both exploring. And of course, Lady Aislin was pretty much someone /everyone/ ended talking to about forgotten bits of history!" Stepping away from Harlan -- and the food -- the woman makes her way over towards the pool, and Lisebet. She kneels down beside the pregnant duchess and offers an apologetic, "I'm afraid I should go soon; I do have something I need to do elsewhere. But it was good to meet some Ashfords, and I wanted to offer congratulations on..." She waves a hand towards the woman's midsection.

Elsbetta wanders over to where her sister is seated. Smiles at Lady Autum and says "It was so nice to meet you I am sorry to hear you have to leave us so soon."

Lisebet glances at Autumn and leans as she listens to the congratulations. "Thank you," she says with a smile. "I am pleased to meet you, and especially Harlan." A glance over at her husband, and apparently Pharamond and Tabitha might not be the only newlyweds in the gardens today.

With a sgentle smile to Autumn, Tabitha nods. "It was so lovely to meet you. I do hope you have a lovely day. This weather is so delightful!" Then she suggests, "Would you like to take some food with you for later?"

Quintin glances up at the sky and reluctantly pulls his feet out of the pool. "I'd best get going," he announces. Standing, he shakes one foot, then the other. "A pleasure to meet you... I don't think I caught your name?" he tells Autumn.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Quintin before departing.

Harlan smilesback towards Lisebet, but lets her talk with Autumn as he walks over towards Elsbetta, "A pleasure to see you again, Lady Elsbetta. We seem to have invaded, though." He grins.

Straightening from where she knelt beside Lisebet, Autumn glances over at Quintin. "Oh, gosh! Did I not introduce myself properly? I'm Autumn," she replies. "Autumn Rivers." To Tabitha, she shakes her head. "Gosh, thanks for the offer! But no; there's food where I need to go next. And I've got plenty of ciders and other stuff at home; some of it's even pretty exotic!" Because apparently, that's a thing some explorers do: collect unusual booze.

"Well met, Miss Autumn," Quintin tells the woman. A servant provides him with a towel, and he dries his feet off so he can put his boots back on. "Try not to get sunburns!" he tells the group at large. He might be a little sensitive. His nose is peeling, after all. And then he's heading out.

Quintin has left the a hot pond with elegantly tailed orange-red fish.

Elsbetta smiles at Harlan "You can invade anytime you like and please just Els as we are family after all." Looking over at Autum her smile broadens. "I hope there will be opportunity to see you again. I would love to hear about some of the places you have been and adventures you have had." Her voice is a bit wistful.

"I bet he's just going to sneak into the Farshaw Library," Lisebet says of Quintin's departure. She chuckles, finishing her drink, and then she glances over. "Els, is there raspberry pie? Tell me there is."
Lisebet sounds like she'd do many things for such pie. Harlan's comment gets a grin. "I still count as half," she protests mildly. "But even so, I do think we've invaded. I love this back yard - it's got many happy memories for me, already." She then nods towards Autumn, as the other young woman rises. "I do hope we get to meet up again. I'd love to learn all about the Ashfords. Especially Harlan.

Autumn offers Lisebet a bright smile in farewell, another polite little nod to everyone present, and then turns to make her way out of the garden.

Tabitha has left the a hot pond with elegantly tailed orange-red fish.

Laudine, a stern middle-aged maidservant leaves, following Tabitha.

Pharamond looks over as Autumn introduces herself and he looks then back to Harlan and everyone. But there is cake, and pie, and sweets, and so he has decided that todya is a day to not worry about eating food. It's a cheat day...to be fair after this morning it's a cheat day of cheat days, having also been to the Laurent pool party. He sets down on a bench near to the pools and leans back with a second drink.

It's still a party, and the merriment continues for quite some time.

Harlan smiles and says, "Of course, Els." He watches Autumn go before he walks over towards his wife -- and oh yes, he has picked up some rapsberry pie for her. Cedric has come through yet again -- he was here?